Deepwatcher
"To see the sun again after a long Deepwatch. Was ne’er a shinier gold crown, nor richer reward." Basic (WC) The Deepwatch is made up of those too caught-up in the tales of adventure and glory to pay heed to the inherent dangers, or those too desperate to care. The Deepwatch are in essence a guild of professional adventurers, with groups dispatched into the tunnels beneath the city to keep them clear from monsters and stop any creatures from reaching the city. It’s a dangerous job, all right, but somebody has to do it. With your GM’s permission, you can substitute Deepwatcher for Militiaman as your starting career. Main Profile Secondary Profile Skills: Dodge Blow, Navigate, Perception, Scale Sheer Surface, Search, Silent Move Talents: Evaluate, Orientation, Resistance to Disease, Resistance to Poison, Tunnel Rat Trappings: Light Armour (Leather Jack), Lantern, Lamp Oil, 10 Yards of Rope Career Entries Rat Catcher, Shieldbreaker, Soldier, Tomb Raider, Watchman Career Exits Engineer, Explorer, Mercenary, Sergeant, Smuggler, Veteran A Day in the Life Life beneath Tobaro resembles the worst any settlement has to offer, with all the added dangers of cavern exploration and the regulation of military service. Life in the Deepwatch is hardly the adventure some paint it to be. True, one can reap the rewards of undiscovered treasures or long-buried secrets, but just as easily gained are deaths from collapses, monsters, or explosions of pent-up gasses. The day begins at shiftstart – shifts start at dawn, mid-day, sunset, or midnight – and ends two shiftstarts later. At any time of day, there are more than a score of groups patrolling the undercaverns beneath Tobaro and twice as many resting or in reserve. Deepwatchers assemble in the guild hall or in a location beneath it determined by their squad’s leaders – rare veterans who survive more than six months in this career. Squads consist of four to a dozen folk. One member maps out the squad’s route, another sketches details and findings, and all others keep weapons and ropes at the ready for anything. One-third of the squads are on the “shortshift” of single-night patrols. They tour familiar points beneath the city that are known areas of activity for thieves or other threats to the city above. They also guard the wells to prevent anyone from poisoning the populace. These shifts are considered “reward posts” in that the areas traveled are shallow, wellknown, and unlikely to collapse or present major problems. Therefor, these shifts often precede a longer posting. The other two-thirds of the squads are on “longshifts.” These involve a shift’s travel (or more) to and from Deepwatch camps (used for resting without returning to the city). There are between nine and a dozen “shift-holds,” depending on whether or not they are overrun by monsters or abandoned for other reasons. While there are often supplies and weapons in each shift-hold, squads carry in food and fuel for themselves, leaving behind only obvious surpluses. One-third the longshifts guard the shift-holds and immediate tunnels around them. The remaining active squads delve into unexplored places. Those squads root out any monsters or collapsed tunnels too dangerous to defend or clear. They also look for new threats to report to the guild hall far above. A typical longshift is no less than two shifts beyond the time it takes to reach their shift-hold. Deepwatchers collect their paychecks after each longshift. Affiliations The official chain-of-command for the Deepwatch only mentions the Commander and three sub-Commanders as responsible for assigning squads to the undercity. Unofficially, veteran Deepwatchers become informal officers over habitual parties. It’s understood who works regularly with whom and said groups adopt names such as Dhorrin’s Delvers, Guild Havenrold’s Deepers, the Ratbanes, or Contano’s Band.